


Somewhere only we know

by birman



Category: VIXX
Genre: M/M, vixx - au, vixx - supernatural
Language: English
Status: Completed
Published: 2019-08-01
Updated: 2019-08-01
Packaged: 2020-07-28 14:04:18
Rating: Teen And Up Audiences
Warnings: Creator Chose Not To Use Archive Warnings
Chapters: 6
Words: 10,582
Publisher: archiveofourown.org
Story URL: https://archiveofourown.org/works/20065243
Author URL: https://archiveofourown.org/users/birman/pseuds/birman
Summary: please note: this is an old fic I had uploaded here on ao3 some time ago under the pseud myridiel, and then taken down once I had basically left the vixx/kpop fandom and was not longer interested in keeping them up.I’m re-uploading all my vixx fics because… I don’t know, someone might feel like reading them I guess? lol, anyway have fun if you do ;)





	1. Chapter 1

**Author's Note:**

> please note: this is an old fic I had uploaded here on ao3 some time ago under the pseud myridiel, and then taken down once I had basically left the vixx/kpop fandom and was not longer interested in keeping them up.   
I’m re-uploading all my vixx fics because… I don’t know, someone might feel like reading them I guess? lol, anyway have fun if you do ;)

Hakyeon flopped down on the bed of his hotel room and sighed, eyes fixed on the ceiling.  
He rubbed his hand on his face and patted over the covers to locate the remote. He turned on the tv and propped himself against the headboard, flipping through channels.

He got bored very soon, nothing worth watching. Or maybe he was just in a bad mood.  
He took a quick shower, put on his pajama pants and a loose t-shirt and went out on the terrace.  
Hakyeon sat down on the only chair and crossed his arms over the railing, resting his chin on them.

It was a warm July night, cicadas were singing everywhere and he could see the sea glinting in the distance.  
Hakyeon closed his eyes and took a deep breath. He had arrived at that small city by the coast earlier that afternoon with his basketball team, for a match. Since he was the captain (and also because they were in odd numbers) he got the room by himself. Usually, he would be overjoyed by that, but this time… not so much. He felt lonely.   
Maybe he shouldn’t have refused the guys’ offer to go into town with them. But, as lonely as he felt, he didn’t feel like mingling either.

Hakyeon had just broken up with his boyfriend.   
He choked a laugh: the truth was, he got mercilessly dumped. He told him that their story was over, that it was fun while it lasted, but now he needed to find a nice girl and settle down.  
He was an asshole, and he would get over him for sure, but it hurt so much at the moment…

“Hey.”  
A voice came from his left. Hakyeon squeaked and slid off his chair.   
He picked himself up and looked over at the terrace of the room next to his: a tall boy with light brown hair was looking at him, concerned.  
“I didn’t mean to scare you, are you ok?” he asked.  
“Y-yeah… I didn’t hear you come out, that’s all.”  
Had he really been so immersed in his thoughts that he didn’t hear any noise from the other room?

Hakyeon took a better look at the boy: he was probably around his age, his nose was a bit on the long side and his lips were quite plump, but they gave him a distinct kind of handsomeness.  
His neighbour gave him a lopsided smile and stretched out a hand: “I’m Jaehwan.”  
“Hakyeon.”  
Jaehwan sat down on the chair of his terrace, arms on the railing just like Hakyeon’s had been: “Beautiful night, isn’t it?”  
Hakyeon nodded: “Yeah. How come you’re not out on a Saturday night?”  
Jaehwan looked at him, smile both on his lips and in his eyes: “I could ask you the same thing.”

Hakyeon found himself smiling back: “I… didn’t really feel like going out.”  
“Wanna talk about it? I’m a great listener.”  
“How…”  
Another laugh: “You looked so gloomy before, I didn’t need a crystal ball to guess your mood.”  
“I guess…”

Hakyeon didn’t have any trouble spilling his heart and sharing his worries, Jaehwan was really nice and easy to talk to. He would listen without interrupting, nodding every now and then. When Hakyeon paused, he’d give his point of view or some advice.

“Do you feel better now?” Jaehwan asked with that bright smile of his.  
“Absolutely, thank you.” Hakyeon’s own smile was genuinely grateful.  
He looked at his watch and groaned: “Damn… I should have been in bed a long time ago.”

Both boys stood, suddenly a bit awkward.  
“Hey… if you’re free, why… why don’t you come to our match tomorrow?”  
Jaehwan’s eyes widened, and Hakyeon thought he saw a flash of sadness in them that disappeared immediately, usual grin back on his lips: “Ah, I would love to, but I’m not sure I will be able… Let me give you a lucky charm though. Come closer.”

Hakyeon leaned over, curious, and Jaehwan’s hand grabbed his shirt to pull him closer.  
His lips pressed against Hakyeon’s, who froze up at first, but soon kissed him back.

When they broke the kiss, Jaehwan smiled: “Always live today to the fullest Hakyeon, and never regret yesterday.”  
Hakyeon snorted: “Cheeseball.”  
“Maybe.” Jaehwan laughed. “Take care. And don’t forget me.”

They both went back to their rooms, and Hakyeon fell asleep immediately.

The morning after, he was the first to arrive for breakfast.  
“Morning hyung.” a sleepy Wonshik, the vice-captain, yawned as he sat down next to him.  
“Hey. Had fun last night?”  
“Yeah, you should have come with us. We had the guy from the reception show us all the fun places.”  
“It’s ok, I had a nice evening as well.”  
“Oh? Do tell.”  
Hakyeon proceeded to tell his friend about Jaehwan and how they talked for hours. When he heard only silence, he turned: Wonshik had gone incredibly pale and was staring at him.  
“Shik-ah, what’s wrong?”  
“Hyung… you’re not pulling a prank on me, are you?”  
Hakyeon laughed nervously, what was going on with this kid? “Of course not, why?”  
“Hyung… Hongbin, the reception guy, asked us about you. Because… they don’t book the room next to yours, usually. They couldn’t do it since last year, when some guy slipped from the terrace and fell. He died hyung. And his name was Jaehwan.”


	2. Chapter 2

Hakyeon was the team’s captain, his friends needed him at his best that afternoon, so he pushed any thoughts about Jaehwan (and he had many) to the back of his mind till the end of the match.  
They won without any real struggle, so Hakyeon didn’t really regret what he chose to do afterwards.

“You… what? Are you insane hyung?” Wonshik shook his head in disbelief.  
Hakyeon smiled: “Don’t worry. I’ll be ok, I’ll come back tomorrow. Besides, we’re still on holiday, it’s not like I’ll miss any school day.”  
“I know what I saw last night Wonshik.” he added more seriously “I’m just going to prove something.”  
Wonshik sighed: “Yeah, well… I’ll see you tomorrow then hyung. Be careful.”

“You… what? Are you sure hyung?”  
“Hongbin-ah, you sound way too much like Wonshik already. Yes, I’m sure.” Hakyeon smiled: “Nothing will happen, I swear.”  
Hongbin reluctantly let the key drop in Hakyeon’s palm. The key to Jaehwan’s room.

Hakyeon sighed as he stood in front of his bed. Maybe that wasn’t such a clever idea after all…   
He rubbed his hands over his face and sighed again. Time for a shower, then dinner in his room. He had bought some instant ramen before coming back to the hotel, he wanted to be here when it became dark. He needed answers, even if his heart felt like bursting in his chest already. In excitement or fear, he didn’t know.

The evening breeze was warm. Hakyeon was sitting out in the small terrace, watching the sun set.  
He wasn’t expecting any noise, or maybe he just wasn’t really sure what he should have expected, thus he didn’t get caught by surprise this time when he saw a tall boy coming out the room to join him.  
“Why are you here?” Jaehwan sounded surprised.  
Hakyeon smiled at him: “Didn’t you tell me not to forget you?”  
“I’m flattered.” the other boy chuckled. “Even if…” his voice turned serious this time “They must have told you.”  
Hakyeon nodded.  
“Then why?”  
“I… I told them I needed answers, but I’m not so sure myself anymore. I don’t know, it just felt weird I guess? I mean…” he took a deep breath “if you… are what you are, how could you be so solid?” Hakyeon grabbed Jaehwan’s hand and held it in his. “How is this possible?”

Jaehwan smiled and closed his fingers around Hakyeon’s: “I have no answer for that, I’m sorry. I wasn’t always able to do it. And last night it was the first time I’ve tried touching someone else since… I fell.”  
Hakyeon squeezed the other boy’s hand and smiled: “I’d like to know more about you Jaehwan. Would you like to tell me?”  
Jaehwan grinned back at him: “Aren’t you afraid I might haunt you?”  
Hakyeon pinched his arm: “Yah! I can always kick you out of the room since you’re solid!”  
“Hahaha! Have fun trying! I can’t leave this room.” he leaned in close to Hakyeon’s face until the tips of their noses touched “Or I would have come to see your match today. Did you win by the way?”  
“Of course we did!”  
“Then my lucky charm worked I guess.”  
Hakyeon felt his face flush at the memory.  
Jaehwan laughed and pecked his lips before stepping back, hand still holding Hakyeon’s tight and a big grin on his lips.  
Hakyeon cupped his cheek with his free hand, as if to soothe the burning he felt. He couldn’t see his own face, but he felt his grin was just as wide as Jaehwan’s.

The two boys sat on the floor of the little terrace since there was just one chair.  
“Hey!” Hakyeon exclaimed.  
“What is it?”  
“You said you would have come to see our match if you could leave this room earlier, but… you don’t show up during the day, right?”  
“Hmmm… I don’t know what happens in detail. I feel almost like I’m sleeping? I can feel it if there are people around, but I can’t do anything. And when it gets dark, I find myself in this room. It just happens, sorry.”  
Hakyeon shook his head: “No, don’t apologize. I don’t expect you to have all the answers to my dumb questions.”  
“Your questions aren’t dumb. I’d probably be curious too if I met such a handsome ghost as myself!”  
Both boys laughed as Hakyeon hit Jaehwan into silence.

“Jaehwan…” Hakyeon asked, then paused, unsure: “What… what do you remember?”  
Jaehwan pursed his lips and looked up to the sky, lost in thought: “A lot. I remember coming back to my room after a night out with my friends. One of them was going to move abroad and we wanted to celebrate. I was drunk, and I goofed around a bit too much I guess.” he looked at Hakyeon, awkward smile on his face: “But I don’t remember the actual… moment.”

Hakyeon frowned and squeezed Jaehwan’s hand: “I guess… that’s good? I’m glad you don’t remember any pain.”  
He turned to the other boy and he found him looking back, fondness in his eyes. Hakyeon blushed and looked away.  
“No, no physical pain. I did know right away I was not longer alive though. The first nights that I found myself in this room I… panicked. I didn’t have a body, unlike now, not even half-transparent like all those cliché ghosts.” he let out a low chuckle “I didn’t know what I was supposed to do, why I was still here. The room was still empty of course, it had police seals and everything.”

Hakyeon was listening carefully, a pained expression on his face: “I’m sorry you had to go through all that.”  
Jaehwan looked at him, surprised: “Don’t apologize. Meeting you last night was really nice. I’ll be sad when you leave.”  
“I still wish I could do more.”

After some time spent in silence on the terrace, they moved back inside.  
They sat on the bed, with Jaehwan telling Hakyeon funny stories about his nights at the hotel and the people who stayed in that room or those adjacent.  
Soon they moved from sitting to lying down, and later on Hakyeon slipped under the covers, trying to keep his eyes open.  
“You should sleep.” Jaehwan said softly, brushing Hakyeon’s fringe away from his eyes.  
“-on’t want to…” the other boy replied, slurring.  
Jaehwan smiled as he watched him slowly fall asleep despite his words.  
He looked down at Hakyeon’s hand grabbing his, and sighed.

\--------------------------

The bright light of the early morning slowly lit up the room, and Hakyeon opened his eyes.  
He yawned as he sat up and looked around: he could see a dip in the covers next to him, as if someone had been lying there during the night. Hakyeon bit his lower lip, sadness creeping over him.   
He rubbed a hand over his face, and felt something weighing on his wrist: a bracelet, a simple silver chain that wasn’t there the night before. Was it Jaehwan’s? And if so, how was that even possible…?  
He decided to shrug the questions off for now. If it really was Jaehwan’s (and honestly, it couldn’t have been anyone else’s), he was simply going to cherish the gift.

He got up, got dressed and went downstairs for breakfast.  
When he checked out later and handed Hongbin the key, the boy behind the counter gave him a weird look.  
“What? Do I have something on my face?”  
“How… how did you sleep last night, hyung? Was everything ok?”  
“Of course it was ok, what did you expect Hongbin?” he grinned.  
“Nothing, nothing. Glad you’re fine, that’s all.” Hongbin replied with a smile.

On the train home, Hakyeon couldn’t stop thinking about Jaehwan. He felt sad that he couldn’t say goodbye to him, that he had to appear night after night in that room, always alone.  
Hakyeon had always been a scaredy-cat and, to be honest, he’s never been interested in supernatural stuff. But he was pretty sure ghosts weren’t supposed to be like Jaehwan.  
Jaehwan was pretty unique, that was for sure… At the thought, Hakyeon smiled and brushed his new bracelet with the tip of his fingers.

Hakyeon lived in a small apartment not far from his university. His parents insisted to pay for his rent and other expenses so he could concentrate on his studies, and he accepted only when he found that place. The building was relatively new, and the apartments weren’t really big, so the tenants were mostly students. That meant that at this time of the year, almost all of them went home for their holidays, leaving the building eerily silent sometimes.

“Shik-ah? Yeah, I just got back.” Hakyeon held his phone between his ear and shoulder as he undid his bag.  
“Yeah, I’m ok, don’t worry. It was…” he sighed “I’ll tell you everything when I see you, ok? Tonight? No, I’m not tired. Yeah, I’ll see you later then, bye.”

Hakyeon busied himself with chores around the house till evening. He showered, got dressed and got ready to meet Wonshik. Right before he left, he took off his bracelet and put it on the kitchen counter: he really wanted to wear it but was scared of damaging it, and that would be worse.

“...So?” asked Wonshik, taking a sip of beer.  
“So what?” replied Hakyeon, wrapping a piece of meat in some lettuce and popping it into his mouth, chewing slowly.  
“Come on hyung, you know what.” the younger man huffed impatiently.  
Hakyeon took his time eating, then told him what happened the night before, only omitting a few more intimate details. Those were just for him: thinking about Jaehwan’s hand in his, or the quick touch of his lips on his made his chest hurt dully.

Hakyeon shuffled out of the lift when it reached his floor with a loud ‘ding’, dragging himself towards his place.  
Wonshik told Hakyeon that he should just forget about that whole story as soon as possible, he was genuinely worried for his friend. Hakyeon thanked him and told him he’d call him soon for another meeting.

He froze when he was just some steps away from his door: he had heard some muffled thumps coming from his apartment.  
Hakyeon cautiously approached the door and listened: the noises were definitely coming from inside his place, it sounded like things were being thrown around or on the floor.

He checked: the door was still closed, and he never left his windows open. Also, he lived on the fifth floor, there weren’t many chances for a burglar to climb up there from the outside.

Hakyeon felt his heart thump violently in his chest, but took a deep breath and punched the entry code, hoping to scare away whoever it was inside.

The apartment was in the dark, only a dim light filtered through the windows.  
Hakyeon reached for the switch but stopped dead in his tracks as he scanned the room and finally saw the source of the noise: a very faint, transparent figure was standing in the middle of his living room, turning wildly from side to side, a lost and almost desperate expression on his face. Around him, Hakyeon’s items were floating, some of them flying across the room.

Hakyeon’s mouth went dry and his heart almost stopped. He took a step closer to the figure, not caring about getting hit or hurt: “Jae...hwan?” he whispered under his breath.


	3. Chapter 3

It didn’t look like the ghost heard him, so Hakyeon licked his lips and called him louder: “Jaehwan? Jaehwan, is that really you?”  
Jaehwan raised his head, a frown on his face as he tried to locate the source of the voice.  
Hakyeon took another step closer to him: “Jaehwan, it’s me. It’s Hakyeon. Jaehwan do you remember me?”

This time Jaehwan turned in his direction, his eyes still unfocused, as if he was looking for him but couldn’t see him: “Hakyeon? Where am I?”  
“This is my house Jaehwan, why are you here?”  
Jaehwan took a deep breath and the items that were still floating around the room stilled and fell on the floor with various thuds. Hakyeon also heard a crash on his left, but didn’t care.

Now that it was safe, Hakyeon quickly stood close to Jaehwan.   
This time the ghost’s eyes locked on him and he smiled: “Hakyeon.”  
Hakyeon smiled back.

Jaehwan tried to grab the other boy’s hand but he was still quite transparent and it just went through Hakyeon’s body.  
Hakyeon bit his lip as he suppressed a cry: he knew Jaehwan was still upset and didn’t want to make things worse.  
“It’s… it’s like it was before I met you.” Jaehwan was staring at his hand, his body, frowning.  
“Could it be because you moved from that room?”  
“I have no idea… I didn’t even know it could be possible.”  
Hakyeon let out a nervous laugh: “Don’t look at me. I didn’t even want to hear the word ‘ghost’ before the other day.”

Hakyeon turned on the lights and walked back to the centre of the room, standing close to Jaehwan.  
It was still unsettling to see him like this, but Hakyeon was happy.  
“I’ve been missing you.” he murmured, blushing lightly.  
Jaehwan smiled widely: “Really?” he moved his hand as if to grab Hakyeon’s, but stopped before touching him, hovering over it for a few moments before moving away, remembering how he just went through him before.  
“Yeah… I was sad I couldn’t say goodbye properly.”  
“Well, it looks like you got another chance.”  
Hakyeon laughed softly: “Yeah… Did you give me your bracelet by the way?”  
Jaehwan looked at the floor, slightly embarrassed: “Yeah. I… wanted you to remember me.”  
“Maybe that’s why you’re here? I will have to look into this.” Hakyeon sighed.

Jaehwan stared at him, biting his lip and frowning: “...does it bother you? Me being here?”  
“What? No! Not at all! Just surprised, that’s all… You gave me quite a scare earlier, I thought you were a burglar.”  
“I’m sorry.” Jaehwan smiled. He looked around the room: “I hope I didn’t break anything. I didn’t mean…”  
“It’s ok. I don’t own anything expensive anyway.”

Jaehwan followed Hakyeon around the apartment as he picked up fallen items, taking in his surroundings and asking questions about the boy’s daily life.

“Hakyeon?” Jaehwan asked as he sat cross-legged on Hakyeon’s bed while his friend brushed his teeth in his small bathroom.  
“Hmm?”  
“Do you think I’ll stay here now?”  
“I think it’s probable, yes. You don’t want to?”  
“Oh no, it’s not that. That makes me quite happy actually. I just… - he sighed - I don’t want to ruin your life.”  
Hakyeon came out of the bathroom and sat on the bed next to the miserable-looking ghost: “What are you talking about? Of course you won’t. I’m still on holiday, so staying up late is not an issue, and I rarely go out at night. When school starts again… we’ll figure something out.”  
Jaehwan still looked worried, but he smiled anyway: “I hope it won’t take me another year to be solid again…”

As a matter of fact, it only took him two nights.  
When Jaehwan materialized out of thin air in the middle of the living room, as solid as when they met, he scared the hell out of Hakyeon. Jaehwan grabbed his hands and spun him around the room. When they stopped, still dizzy and laughing like children, Jaehwan leaned in as if he wanted to peck Hakyeon’s lips, but stopped mid-action and pulled back, hugging him instead.

That night, Jaehwan never stopped touching him. Nothing more than innocent touches, like grabbing Hakyeon’s arms or not letting go of his hand, as if to convince himself he was really solid, really there, and Hakyeon happily let him.

\--------------------------

Wonshik called to check on him a couple of days later.  
“Hey hyung.”  
“Shik-ah. What’s up?”  
“How are you holding up?”  
“I’m good Wonshik, thanks. You worry too much.”  
Wonshik laughed quietly: “I don’t. I actually called you to ask you something else.”  
“Oh? What is it?”  
“Hongbin’s coming over for the week-end and-”  
“Ooooh… Hongbin eh?” Hakyeon interrupted him, grinning.  
“Y-yah, stop making fun of me hyung.”  
“Sorry, sorry.”  
“Hongbin’s coming over and… do you want to go out for a drink all together?”  
“Thanks for the offer Wonshik, but I’m sure you’ll have a lot more fun without me around.”  
“Hyung!”  
Hakyeon laughed: “Tell him I said hi.”

Hakyeon hung up and smiled. Wonshik was a good friend, he appreciated that he was trying to get him out, to distract him. But he liked staying at home, even more so now.   
He sat on the sofa and looked around: it was weird, but he thought he could feel Jaehwan’s presence around him, and that didn’t make him uncomfortable at all. He felt almost… protected.

When he came out of the shower, later that night, he found Jaehwan lying on the sofa, reading one of his books.  
He sat down at the other end of the sofa, Jaehwan’s feet resting on his lap immediately.  
“I like your tastes in books.” Jaehwan said, nose buried in the pages.  
Hakyeon chuckled: “Thank you.” then turned on the tv, keeping the volume low so not to disturb the other boy.

He was about to doze off when he got startled by Jaehwan shifting and replacing his feet on his lap with his head instead.  
He was still engrossed in the book he was reading, and Hakyeon suddenly didn’t know where to put his hand, that before was resting on Jaehwan’s legs.  
In the end he decided to just let it fall next to his thigh, brushing Jaehwan’s side, and tried to go back watching his movie.

Hakyeon found it nearly impossible to concentrate when he felt Jaehwan’s fingertips bump against his own, then grab his fingers and bring his hand up on his stomach.  
He looked down, but Jaehwan was still reading, oblivious, holding the book with one hand while the other was absent-mindedly (or so it looked) playing with his fingers.  
Hakyeon slightly lifted the tips of his fingers from Jaehwan’s body, and the other boy slid his fingers through his own, intertwining them.

“Do you mind?” Jaehwan asked quietly, face still hidden behind the book.  
“No. I… I thought you were avoiding me actually.”  
Only now Jaehwan put the book down and looked at him, frowning: “I wasn’t. Well… I thought that… what happened at the hotel, maybe you didn’t want that to happen anymore now that you were back here.”  
“What? No…”

Jaehwan pulled himself up to sit cross-legged next to Hakyeon, not letting go of his hand.  
“I know this might sound creepy, but I like you. You looked beautiful back there at the hotel when I first saw you, and I couldn’t help but talking to you.” he said softly, looking down.  
“I wish I’d met you… before. I would have asked you out right away.”

His thumb was rubbing circles on Hakyeon’s skin and Hakyeon found it mildly distracting. He closed his eyes, took a deep breath and when he opened them, he leaned in to press his lips against Jaehwan’s.  
Jaehwan made a small noise at the back of his throat before kissing him back.  
His lips were soft, and Hakyeon briefly thought that maybe he shouldn’t be doing this, that Jaehwan wasn’t ‘real’, but… he felt more real than a lot of other things lately. And the fact that he was such a good kisser was definitely a bonus.

They were still kissing when the doorbell rang.   
Hakyeon cursed: “Who… I wasn’t expecting anyone.” He got up and answered the door.  
“Hey hyung! I know you’re not doing anything tonight, I’ve come to pick you up!”  
“Wonshik? What…” Hakyeon stuttered as his friend pushed his way into his apartment.  
“...and Hongbin.” said a deep voice behind Wonshik, and Hongbin stepped in as well. “It was his idea, I swear. Hi hyung, how are you doing?”  
“_My_ idea?” Wonshik snorted: “I might have suggested it, but you agreed right away.”

Hakyeon laughed softly: “It was really nice of you guys, but there was no need, really…”  
“Hyung, come out with us, some distraction will do you good. Unless” Wonshik lowered his voice because he heard some noise coming from the living room, “you’re with someone? It better not be that asshole though…”

As if on cue, Jaehwan walked out of the room and stood behind Hakyeon: “Hi.”  
“No, that’s definitely not that asshole.” Wonshik grinned, “Who’s this?”  
Hongbin had gone pale though: “Jae… Jaehwan-hyung?”

\--------------------------

“How… how the hell did this happen?” Wonshik asked.  
He was sitting on Hakyeon’s sofa, Hongbin next to him, holding a glass of water in his hands. Colour had returned to his face, but Wonshik was rubbing his hand soothingly over his back as if to calm him down.  
Hakyeon shrugged in response to Wonshik’s question: “My guess is as good as yours.”

Hakyeon was sitting in the only armchair, with Jaehwan perched on the armrest. He remained silent as Hakyeon explained as best as he could what happened.  
“I’m sorry if I might sound rude hyung,” Wonshik began, “but what are you going to do now?”  
“Nothing. I know it’s weird, but I like having him around. It’s like having a roommate who won’t drink my banana milk!”

They ended up raiding Hakyeon’s fridge and playing Just Dance till late, with Hakyeon and Wonshik kicking everyone’s ass.  
When Wonshik and Hongbin left, they were definitely more at ease with Jaehwan, and promised to be back soon.

“You didn’t tell them everything.” Jaehwan said as he sat down on the sofa and pulled Hakyeon close.  
“I love Wonshik, but he doesn’t have to know everything. Not yet, at least.” Hakyeon replied as he snuggled against Jaehwan, arm wrapped over his waist.  
Jaehwan’s hand came up to pet his hair, combing through it gently, and Hakyeon felt his eyelids get heavy.

When he opened his eyes again, he found himself in his bed, snugly tucked under the covers. The light outside of the window was rosy.  
He was still wearing the sweatpants and the hoodie from the night before. He looked around, and saw the book Jaehwan was reading on the nightstand. On top of it, a slip of paper that read: “_You wouldn’t wake up. You look cute when you sleep~ ♥_”  
Hakyeon couldn’t stop a giggle escaping from his lips as he read it, hugging his pillow.


	4. Chapter 4

“You should go to bed, it’s very late.”  
Hakyeon raised his head from Jaehwan’s shoulder and stared at him: “But it’s not sunrise yet, I can wait.”  
Jaehwan smiled and placed a soft kiss on his lips: “You’re starting classes again next week, you can’t keep staying up all night.”  
“Can’t I?” Hakyeon whined, pouting.  
“Nope. Can’t fail classes because of a ghost.”  
“Come to bed with me?”  
“Sure, you big baby.”  
Hakyeon stood and huffed: “What’s wrong with liking cuddles?”  
“Nothing, nothing…” Jaehwan laughed as he stood as well and pulled Hakyeon towards the bedroom.

When they turned the lights off though, Hakyeon began tossing and turning in his bed.  
"What's wrong?" Jaehwan's voice asked in the dark.  
"Can't sleep. I'm not tired enough."  
Jaehwan chuckled softly, then began singing.  
Hakyeon had no idea Jaehwan could sing so well, so he just lay there, in the dark, listening to the sweetest voice he’d ever heard.

“...wow.” he breathed when the room fell silent again.  
“Thank you.” Jaehwan replied, amused.  
“You never told me you could sing so well.”  
“I wanted to be a singer, but my family didn’t really agree with my choice. Now it’s not important.”  
“It is for me.” Hakyeon moved closer to Jaehwan, who began petting his hair.  
“You know, I won a singing contest at your university a few days before my accident.”  
Hakyeon sat bolt upright: “Are you joking? I remember that! I was there for one of my friends, but I had to leave before the end.”  
He lay down again: “If I had stayed, maybe I would have met you…”  
Jaehwan’s hand came up to brush his cheek: “We can’t change that, stop worrying.”  
“I know, but…”  
Jaehwan kissed him and Hakyeon shut up.

\--------------------------

“Wow hyung, you look awful.”  
Hakyeon glared at Wonshik: “Nice to see you too, Shik-ah.”  
They were alone in the gym lockers, changing for their first practice after the summer break. The rest of the team would arrive in about thirty minutes.  
“You know what I mean.” Wonshik grunted. “Have you slept at all last night?”  
“Yes, don’t worry. I’m trying to get back to my regular sleeping pattern. Jaehwan won’t let me stay up all night anymore.” Hakyeon sighed.  
“Well, at least one of you has still some sense in them.”  
“Hey! You should know I do take my responsibilities very seriously!”

Wonshik laughed, then wrapped himself all over Hakyeon’s back: “Hongbin might have found some useful information. Meet up at your place on Friday?”  
“Sure. You bring the beer this time.”

\--------------------------

“So, what did you find?” Hakyeon asked as he opened a bottle of beer and passed it over to Hongbin.  
“My college has this supernatural, occult club, I told them I needed to research ghosts because I was writing a story and I wanted to make it as realistic as possible. Basically, what they told me is that ghosts are tied to a place, or an object, and cannot wander too far from it.”  
“But he moved from the hotel to my place… so he’s definitely not haunting that.” Hakyeon pointed out.  
“My bracelet.”

Everybody turned to look at Jaehwan, who had been quiet since their meeting started.  
“Yes, that’s plausible. But why?” Wonshik asked.  
Jaehwan shrugged: “It fell under the wardrobe, weirdly enough nobody found it. I thought it would make a nice gift for Hakyeon.”  
“Hongbin, did you ask if a ghost can be solid?”  
“Yeah, but they didn’t really know, they never heard of such thing. They suggested that I wouldn’t put that in my story. If they only knew…”

Hakyeon took a sip from his beer bottle and sighed: “In the end, all we know is that Jaehwan is a one-of-a-kind ghost. Nothing we didn’t know before.”  
Jaehwan made an affronted noise: “Excuse you, but I am the best ghost you’ll ever meet.”  
Hakyeon laughed and squeezed his hand: “Yes, yes you are. And I really hope you’ll also be the only ghost I’ll ever meet.”

Wonshik stood and tapped Hakyeon on his shoulder: “Hyung, can I talk to you for a moment?”  
Hakyeon followed him outside on his small balcony and closed the window behind them, cutting them off from the people inside.  
“What’s going on?” Wonshik asked, frowning.  
“What do you mean?”  
“You and Jaehwan. I’m not stupid, hyung. I see how you two look at each other, the way you held hands before.”  
Hakyeon could feel his cheeks burn, and he stuttered: “I… it’s not…”  
“Have you two…” Wonshik began, blushing a little as well.  
“What? No!” Hakyeon almost shrieked, and Wonshik sighed in relief.  
“Hyung,” he began, leaning on the railing, “I can see very well that you like him, and that he likes you as well. I have nothing against Jaehwan, but…”  
“I know it, Wonshik. I know.” Hakyeon interrupted him. “I know I shouldn’t feel like this, that’s he’s not real, but I can’t help it.”  
“Jaehwan _is_ real, hyung, but he’s… not alive. I…” Wonshik paused, chewing on his lower lip. “Just be careful, ok? I don’t want to see you broken.”  
Hakyeon managed a small smile: “I will. Thanks Wonshik.”

\--------------------------

“What did you and Wonshik talk about earlier?” Jaehwan asked when their guests left and Hakyeon curled up against his side on the sofa.  
“Hmm? Nothing, he wanted some advice about Hongbin.”  
“Those two look good together, I’m a bit jealous.”  
“Why? You don’t think we’re good together?”  
Jaehwan pulled Hakyeon closer and kissed his hair: “You know what I mean.”

\--------------------------

“I can’t believe it’s already Halloween.” Wonshik said as he walked home after their basketball practice, Hakyeon right behind him.  
“Any improvement with Jaehwan?” he went on.  
Hakyeon shook his head: “No. After that first time with you and Hongbin I’ve tried wearing the bracelet outside a few times, but the results are always the same.”  
“No Jaehwan, uh?”  
“No. He said he moved once, but he was so transparent I didn’t even see him.”  
“Hongbin thinks that maybe he needs some particular day or time of the day to be able to do it, in which he’s more powerful?”  
“You mean like Halloween?”  
Wonshik shrugged: “It would be worth giving it a try, don’t you think? Are you coming to the party tomorrow?”  
“I don’t know yet…”  
“Hyung, please come. Hongbin’s going to be there too, and you haven’t been out in a while.”  
Hakyeon sighed: “I’ll think about it.”

\--------------------------

“Aren’t you going to dress up?” Jaehwan asked from the sofa, where he was sitting and reading a book.  
“I don’t have to. I don’t really feel like dressing up anyway.”  
Jaehwan stood and padded over to Hakyeon, resting his hands on his waist: “You should, so that everyone can see how stunning you are.”  
“You’re such a sweet-talker.” Hakyeon grinned as he kissed him. “Also, I don’t want to dress up when you can’t.”  
“Hakyeon… we’ve talked about this already. I won’t probably even show up, just like always.”  
Hakyeon shrugged, not looking at him: “It’s Halloween, let me try one last time.”  
“Do as you wish.” Jaehwan replied and placed a soft kiss on Hakyeon’s forehead.

Half an hour later, Hakyeon met with Wonshik and Hongbin in front of the house where the party was taking place.  
People were coming and going in loud groups, most of them dressed up in extravagant, scary-looking costumes.  
The place itself was all decorated in fake spiders and bats, cobwebs and a few plastic tombstones scattered over the yard.

“Hyung, why aren’t you dressed up?” Wonshik asked with a smile.  
Hakyeon grinned back, and pointed at his two friends: “I could ask the same. Pity, you could have gone for a cute couple look.”  
“Over my dead body.” Hongbin snorted, making Hakyeon laugh.  
“What about Jaehwan?” Wonshik inquired as they made their way in.  
Hakyeon pulled up his sleeve to show him the bracelet, but shook his head: “Keep your fingers crossed for me.”

The living room was already crowded with people sitting on the sofas or standing, talking and dancing.  
The three friends made their way to the kitchen to grab a beer, greeting people as they went.  
“Hyung… I’ve just thought something.” Hongbin said once they found a quiet spot.  
“Hmm?”  
“What if Jaehwan-hyung appears in the middle of the room? How are we going to explain that?”  
Hakyeon choked on his beer, and Wonshik had to pat on his back while he coughed before he could speak again.  
“I… let’s hope he appears outside where it’s dark instead. If it works.”

The party dragged on through the night, and Hakyeon spent all his time there with an anxious feeling in his stomach, waiting for something to happen.  
He was leaning on the backrest of a sofa, half-sitting on it and lazily sipping from a bottle of beer, watching drunk people sleeping, and a few even making out, all over the armchairs and the two small sofas of the room.  
Wonshik and Hongbin had been dancing all night, but now they went to the kitchen looking for some water. Hakyeon suspected they were probably kissing against a wall instead, and couldn’t help but smile. They _did_ look good together.

“Hey sexy.”  
Hakyeon froze as soon as he heard the voice behind him. Someone walked in his line of sight and he frowned: “What are you doing here?”  
“Is that how you greet your ex-boyfriend?”  
“Ex being the key word.”  
“All alone? You know, I have to admit it’s pretty quiet without you around, you should give me a call sometimes.”  
“Why should I, Taehak? I thought you just wanted to date girls now?”  
Taehak shrugged: “Who said anything about dating? You clearly must be lonely too, we can have some fun together till I find someone. For old time’s sake?”  
Hakyeon was fuming. He was about to give him a piece of his mind when he felt someone coming up next to him and grab his hand, lacing their fingers together.  
“Sorry love, I’m really late. Is this guy bothering you?”

Hakyeon turned around and his face lit up: “Jaehwan… No, it’s ok, he’s… someone I used to know. He was about to leave anyway.”  
He didn’t even wait for Taehak’s reaction before hooking his hand at the back of Jaehwan’s neck and pull him down for a kiss.  
“You made me wait… but I forgive you.”


	5. Chapter 5

Wonshik and Hongbin came back and found Hakyeon and Jaehwan on the couch talking and giggling, their fingers tightly entwined.  
Hakyeon laughed out loud at the surprise on their face, but he knew they were truly happy for them, and that made him grin like a kid in a toy store.

“So you really did need some special night after all.” Hongbin said as they walked back to the train station after the party ended.  
“I guess so. I wonder if I’ll be able to do this just on Halloween…” Jaehwan smiled, but he looked a bit sad.  
“You should have seen the look on Taehak’s face when Jaehwan arrived!” Hakyeon interjected, squeezing his hand and changing the subject.  
“Wait, the asshole was there? I’m glad I haven’t seen him or I might have punched him.”  
“The way he looked at Jaehwan when he saw him, you would have thought someone had punched him for real. Ugh… how could I have gone out with him in the first place…”  
Hakyeon made fake retching noises, and everyone laughed.

\--------------------------

“You wore one of my jackets tonight.” Hakyeon pointed out when they arrived home.  
“You noticed?” Jaehwan replied with a grin.  
“Hard not to notice, when you’ve been wearing jeans and a t-shirt all the time since I met you.”

Jaehwan pouted for a moment before replying: “Yes, well… even if I wasn’t really hoping to appear at the party, I was worried that if people saw me wearing short sleeves they’d think it odd.”  
“So you… imagined to wear my jacket?”  
Jaehwan shrugged: “I saw you wearing it the other day, and you looked good in it.”  
Hakyeon hooked his hand behind Jaehwan’s neck and pulled him close, a wide grin spreading on his face: “That’s sweet,” he breathed over his lips before kissing him softly, “thanks.”

\--------------------------

After that Halloween night, Hakyeon began wearing Jaehwan’s bracelet out at night every now and then, whenever they got tired of being holed up in Hakyeon’s apartment.  
Jaehwan always appeared as solid as he normally did, but on these dates they never went too far or in crowded places, for fear of bumping into someone that used to know Jaehwan.   
Even if it was a remote chance, they wanted to avoid any uncomfortable situation, so they limited their night walks in the quiet parks and streets of Hakyeon’s neighbourhood.

Nights grew longer and colder as they neared winter, and on Christmas Eve they decided to take a stroll to the nearest mall to look at the brightly-coloured trees and decorations.  
“Aren’t Wonshik and Hongbin coming with us?” Jaehwan asked as they walked down the street.  
“No, I think Wonshik had something planned for Hongbin. He’s such a sap.”   
It had snowed the night before, and the pavements were already covered in patches of ice. Hakyeon didn’t wish to spend his winter holidays at home with his leg in a cast, so he grabbed Jaehwan’s arm tight, not letting go even when they reached a cleaner area with no risk of slipping.

Before moving closer to the crowd that was filling the plaza, Hakyeon pulled Jaehwan to the side and wrapped a scarf around his neck.  
“But I don’t feel cold.” Jaehwan complained.  
“I know, but it would be weird if you didn’t have one.”  
Jaehwan smiled and let Hakyeon cover him up until all they could see were his eyes.  
“You look like a penguin.” Hakyeon laughed.  
“A very handsome penguin I hope!”

They walked around the plaza, looking at the decorations and pointing at the cutest ones. Hakyeon bought himself some warm cider and they both sat on a bench while he drank it, puffing out white clouds of air after each sip.   
Jaehwan was content to just watch him drink and enjoy their night out, smiling every time their eyes met. Hakyeon looked so happy, and that made him happy in return, even if he couldn’t share drinks or food with him.

“Let's go home.” Jaehwan quietly requested some time later.  
“But it's not midnight yet.”  
Jaehwan chuckled at the whiny tone in Hakyeon's voice: “I know. But I want to be alone with you to wish you Merry Christmas.”  
He grabbed the other boy's hand in his and pulled him along. Hakyeon smiled and followed him without complaining anymore.

Someone had put up strings of white lights on a few trees at the park a block away from Hakyeon's apartment building, and Jaehwan stopped to look at them.  
“Let’s go take a closer look.” he said with a nod of his head and a smile on his lips.

The snow, the bare branches covered in tiny white lights and no people around made the park look like a winter wonderland.  
Jaehwan dragged Hakyeon under one of the trees and pulled him close. He cupped his face and rubbed their noses together: “Merry Christmas, Hakyeon.”

Hakyeon laughed: “But it’s not midnight yet!”  
“Is that a problem?” Jaehwan asked, cocking his head and grinning.  
He let his hands slide down over Hakyeon’s sides and around his waist, while Hakyeon wrapped his arms around his neck.  
“No, no problem at all.” Hakyeon smiled.

They kissed, a slow soft kiss that lingered for minutes.  
“It’s funny.” Jaehwan whispered against Hakyeon’s lips.  
“What is?”  
“How I don’t feel the heat of summer, nor the cold of winter. I know it’s supposed to be cold, but I don’t feel it. At all. Yet… every time I touch you, I can feel your warmth under my fingers, against my body. You’re like my own ray of sunshine.”

Jaehwan smiled as he said this, and Hakyeon blinked up at him, blushing, before hiding his face against Jaehwan’s shoulder: “Stop it. I’m not… really…”  
“Honestly,” Jaehwan went on, holding him closer, “who needs sunshine when I have you?”  
Hakyeon snorted: “You cheeseball.”  
“Let’s go.” Jaehwan laughed, “You’re shivering, I don’t want you to get sick.”  
The cold wasn’t the only reason Hakyeon was trembling, but he didn’t think it necessary to tell Jaehwan that, so he followed him home, holding hands and smiling.

\--------------------------

A week rolled by, and soon it was New Year’s Eve.  
Snow was still dotting the ground here and there, but it was hard and frozen now. Temperatures were below zero and the wind blew the clouds away, but that meant that the air at night was crisp and the sky clear, impossibly full of stars.

“Are you sure you want to stay at home tonight?” Jaehwan walked up to Hakyeon as he was preparing dinner in his kitchen and hugged him from behind, resting his chin on his shoulder.  
“Yeah. There aren’t any interesting parties I want to go to, and you know I don’t mind being at home with you anyway. Besides, Wonshik is at Hongbin’s… I’m sure they’d be happy to spend the night with us, but I wasn’t sure another journey wouldn’t cause you any more trouble.”  
He thought back when Jaehwan moved to his place, and frowned.

“So I thought,” he went on, moving to the living room and sitting on the floor by the small table, setting his dinner down in front of him, “we could spend the evening together. I got some firecrackers and we can set them off outside later. What do you think?”  
“Anything that makes you happy.” Jaehwan replied with a grin. He pecked the other boy on the lips and grabbed the remote, switching channels while Hakyeon ate, finally deciding on a music show that would keep them company.

When midnight struck, they went out on the terrace, both holding firecrackers in their hands.  
“Wait.” Jaehwan suddenly said, and grabbed Hakyeon’s arm, pulling him close.  
“What-” Hakyeon began, but he was cut off by Jaehwan’s lips on his.  
“Happy New Year.” Jaehwan grinned when he broke the kiss.

“I want to stay up to see the sunrise.” Hakyeon said, watching the last of the firecrackers sparkle and go out.  
“Ok.” Jaehwan replied as he took the burnt end of a firecracker between his fingers and then pinched Hakyeon’s cheek, leaving two black stripes on his skin.  
“Hey!” Hakyeon darted inside and rushed to the bathroom, trying to wash off the marks, while Jaehwan followed behind, laughing.

When he came back to the living room, Jaehwan handed him a cup of fresh coffee.  
“A peace offering.” he smiled.  
Hakyeon squinted, still pretending to be mad, but took the cup anyway.

“It’s almost time, we should go out.” Jaehwan said, much later.  
Hakyeon blinked the sleep from his eyes and stumbled off the sofa, where he was dozing off while watching old movies on tv.

They both leaned on the railing, a blanket thrown over their shoulders. Hakyeon was shivering lightly, so Jaehwan wrapped the blanket tighter around them.  
“The sun will be up any minute.”  
“Should we make a wish?”  
“Why not? What will you wish for?”  
“It’s a secret! If I tell you then it won’t come true.”

Hakyeon snuggled closer to Jaehwan and put his head on his shoulder.  
“You’re such a cuddler.” Jaehwan joked, but held him close and kissed his forehead nonetheless.  
“You don’t seem to mind.” Hakyeon replied with a smile.  
“I don’t. At all.”

Light slowly began to creep on the horizon, and the brighter it got, the more transparent Jaehwan became, until he finally disappeared, the blanket on his shoulders falling down, empty.  
Hakyeon stared at the space where Jaehwan was just a few moments before, frowning.  
“I… I wished to be with you forever.” he whispered to no-one as his throat grew tighter.

Tears began to roll down his face as he stepped inside and he threw himself on his bed.  
He’d been watching Jaehwan disappear at dawn so many times during summer break, why was this time so hard?  
Hakyeon knew why… his chest hurt so much. He loved Jaehwan so much already.

“Are you ok?” Jaehwan asked later that night.  
“Yeah, don’t worry. I’m just tired.” Hakyeon tried to reassure him with a smile, but Jaehwan wouldn’t stop frowning.  
“Your eyes are puffy. Have you been crying? What happened?” Jaehwan’s voice was gentle, concern visible in his face.  
He caressed Hakyeon’s cheek with his thumb, but the other boy stepped away from his touch: “I’m fine, really. Just tired.”  
Jaehwan sighed, but didn’t press the matter further: “If you say so. ...Wanna go out for a walk?”

\--------------------------

“And what’s this?” Jaehwan’s eyes glinted with amusement as he held a carefully wrapped cake in his hand.  
“It’s a cupcake, of course. Happy Valentine’s Day, Jaehwan.”  
Jaehwan laughed: “Aren’t you supposed to gift chocolate?”  
“Yes, well… I’m not that fond of chocolate, and I’ll be the one eating it anyway, so I thought I should get something I liked better.”  
Hakyeon shrugged, then bit into the cream topping the cupcake.

“Hakyeon?”  
“Hmm?” Hakyeon stopped chewing for a moment to look up at Jaehwan.  
“Why did you give this to me?”  
Hakyeon stared at Jaehwan as if he’d just asked a very obvious and stupid question: “Who else was I supposed to give it to?”  
“That’s… exactly the point. You’ve spent all your time with me since last July.”

Hakyeon put the half-eaten cupcake on the table and cleaned his fingers: “Do you regret it?” he quietly asked.   
He felt like icy fingers were gripping his chest and crushing it, sinking deep into his heart.  
Jaehwan made Hakyeon turn around and stared at him, gaze serious but warm. He brushed a lock of hair away from Hakyeon’s eyes: “I think that… you need your life back.”  
He smiled softly as he said this, but Hakyeon could hear the sadness in his voice, could see it in his eyes.

“I don’t regret meeting you, I really don’t. I don’t regret… falling in love with you. But, if I could go back in time to that night at the hotel, I… I would just watch you from afar and not approach you again. You need more than this. You need something better, someone who can be with you wholly.”  
“But I have you already! I love you too Jaehwan, you must know it by now. Doesn’t that matter?”  
“You know what I am, Hakyeon… and you know we can’t be together like I would want us to. Don’t waste your life on something like me, I beg you. Go out, meet new people, find… someone who will make you happy.”

Jaehwan frowned as he stared hard into Hakyeon’s face. Tears were beginning to roll down his face, and Jaehwan wiped them away.  
“Is that really what you want? First you tell me that you love me, and then you push me away?”  
“I can’t be your future, Hakyeon! No matter how much I’d love to, I’m… stuck… here, in this moment, and it frustrates me to no end. I would love nothing more than to take you out and be the one to adore you every day of your life. But that can’t happen…”  
“I don’t care what you say… I am happy the way I am, I don’t want to give you up. I will not give you up.” Hakyeon told him stubbornly.  
“Ok, ok…” Jaehwan took Hakyeon in his arms and held him close till he stopped crying.  
“Do you think you can stay up with me tonight? Until I go?” he whispered as he kissed Hakyeon’s hair.  
Hakyeon just nodded.

They sat on the sofa without saying anything more, Hakyeon wrapping himself around Jaehwan, and Jaehwan petting his hair and placing soft kisses on Hakyeon’s face and hair.  
“I really do love you, you know.” Jaehwan murmured after some time. “For the first time I’m afraid to lose someone… but how could I ever lose you if I’ll never be able to truly have you?”  
Hakyeon shifted in his embrace, and looked at him: “Jaehwan…”  
“No, please listen, the sun will be up in a few minutes. I wish I could have met you before, Hakyeon. I’ve said that already, haven’t I? But since that’s an impossible wish for me to make, I just want you to live your life. Please, promise me.”  
“Tomorrow night’s gonna be awkward if you keep saying stuff like this.” Hakyeon snorted.  
“Maybe.” Jaehwan replied as he tilted his head, “Or maybe not. I’ve always wondered what would happen if I wore my bracelet when dawn came.”

Hakyeon’s gaze moved to Jaehwan’s wrist, where indeed his bracelet was.  
“Nothing’s gonna happen, and we’ll… we’ll see each other at night.”  
Hakyeon felt like he was choking on an invisible lump in his throat. He looked back to Jaehwan’s face, already starting to fade: “Jaehwan…”  
“I love you, Hakyeon.” Jaehwan smiled. And then he disappeared.

Hakyeon was unable to stop the tears that were already running down his face: “I love you too, you idiot…” he sobbed, “Why did you have to do that… Please… don’t leave me alone… Please…”


	6. Chapter 6

“Jaehwan!”  
Hakyeon sat up in bed, panting: he’d just had a bad dream, and one so bad he couldn’t remember having in years.   
His heart was beating furiously in his chest, and when he wiped his face for what he thought was sweat, he found out that he had been crying. He was still crying, in fact.

What the hell had happened? He couldn’t remember what the dream was about, couldn’t even remember what he was screaming when he woke up. Maybe… a name? But whose?  
He lay back and yawned, stretching his arms over his head: the sun was slowly bathing his room in light, and he rolled over in his bed, trying to get some more sleep.   
He wasn’t supposed to meet his friends till later that day, he could afford to be lazy.

In the end, he couldn’t sleep anymore. That dream he had left him anxious for some reason.  
He got up and took his time showering and having breakfast, texting Wonshik as he munched on some cereals.  
When he arrived at his campus, he was about twenty minutes early on his date with Wonshik, so he took a walk to the coffee shop nearby to fill the extra time.

“Hakyeon!”  
Someone called him as he stepped out of the shop, and Hakyeon turned around: a boy his age was smiling, walking up to him.  
“Oh, Taehak, hey.”  
Hakyeon smiled: he had been liking Taehak for months now. They met through a common friend, and Hakyeon instantly crushed on him.  
He had never done anything about it though, as he wasn’t really sure what Taehak felt, and, honestly, he wasn’t that ready for rejection if he confessed.

“What’s up? Here for the singing contest too?” Hakyeon asked as they both walked towards the auditorium of their campus.  
“Uh? No, not really. I was about to go to the library and saw you.” He gave Hakyeon a bright smile, the kind that always made butterflies do a crazy dance inside Hakyeon’s tummy.  
But not today, Hakyeon noticed with a slight frown.  
“Hmm?” he asked, realizing that Taehak was talking, “I’m sorry, I got lost in thought for a second. Did you say something?”  
“I was just wondering if you were doing anything tonight.”  
“No, I don’t have any plans so far. Why?”  
“Well, in that case… how does a movie and pizza sound?”  
Hakyeon blinked and looked at the boy walking next to him: “Are you… are you asking me out?”  
“Yes, obviously. What do you say?”  
“I…” Hakyeon was speechless: this was what he had been dreaming of for months. He opened and closed his mouth a couple of times, then frowned: “I’m sorry.”  
Taehak sounded just as surprised as Hakyeon felt: “What? I thought… never mind then. Well, I’m going that way. See you around I guess.”

Hakyeon waved him goodbye then walked up to his friend Wonshik who was already waiting for him in front of the glass door of the auditorium.  
“Hey hyung. What’s wrong?”  
“Taehak just asked me out… and I said no.”  
“But… I thought you liked him?”  
“Yeah, I thought so too. I don’t know, Wonshik, but as soon as he asked me, I realized that I didn’t really wanted to go out with him. That I didn’t really care about him after all. It’s so… weird.”  
Wonshik chuckled and wrapped his arm around Hakyeon’s shoulders as they entered the auditorium: “Don’t worry too much about it, hyung. To be honest, I never really liked him. He’s an asshole.”

Hakyeon and Wonshik were at the singing contest to cheer for one of their friends, Taekwoon, who was going to perform that day.  
They made their way backstage to wish him luck, walking past many unfamiliar and nervous faces.  
“Taekwoonie!” Hakyeon called out when they finally saw him.  
Taekwoon was talking to someone, but they could only see his back and couldn’t tell if he was from their school or not.  
As they got closer, the boy turned around to leave and bumped right into Hakyeon.

“Ah! I’m so sorry!” the other person blurted out, grabbing Hakyeon’s arm to avoid falling.  
“No, it’s…ok.” Hakyeon’s words died in his throat as he stared at the face in front of him.  
He’d never seen him before, he was sure, still… he felt like he knew him.  
And the look on the other boy’s face told him he was probably thinking the same: the two stared at each other with wide eyes for a couple of seconds, then the unknown boy reluctantly turned around.

“Hyung, are you ok?”  
Hakyeon realized that Wonshik was calling him, and Taekwoon was staring at him as well, looking concerned. He gave them a shaky grin, wondering what was wrong with himself.  
“Do you know him? You look like you’ve just seen a ghost.” Wonshik asked.  
“No, I’ve never seen him before.” Hakyeon replied, “Taekwoon, who’s that?”  
“He’s one of today’s contestants. His name’s Jaehwan. I think he might easily win.”  
Wonshik scoffed: “Against you? No way, hyung.”  
They wished Taekwoon good luck, and walked back to the front, looking for their seats.

The singers were all very talented and received a lot of applause, but when it was Taekwoon’s turn Hakyeon and Wonshik beamed, proud of their friend and of the reaction he elicited from the audience.  
The mysterious guy, Jaehwan, performed right after Taekwoon.

Hakyeon found himself sitting up straight in his chair the moment he began singing, completely focused on him. He couldn’t shake the feeling that he knew him from somewhere, and, judging by Jaehwan’s behaviour earlier, he must have felt it too.  
Taekwoon was right: he was really good, and, as much as he supported his friend, Hakyeon predicted that it would be a hard battle between the two.

“Hyung, are you alright?” Wonshik laid his hand on his arm and shook him quietly as soon as Jaehwan’s performance was over.  
Hakyeon blinked, tearing his gaze from the stage to look at the worried face of his friend: “Yes, of course I am.” he smiled. “Why are you asking?”  
“You’re crying… Are you sure you’re ok, hyung? You’ve been weird since we met today.”

Hakyeon touched his cheek with his hand and found it was indeed wet.  
What the hell was wrong with him? This was the second time today he was crying and he didn’t even notice…  
“I… I don’t know, Wonshik.”  
“Do you want to go home? I can explain to Taekwoon-hyung why you couldn’t go to the after party.”  
Hakyeon shook his head: “No, I want to come. I’m probably just a bit tired.”

In the end, Jaehwan won the competition, with Taekwoon coming second closely behind him.  
Hakyeon’s college had prepared a small party for all the contestants after the ceremony, and Taekwoon had invited Wonshik and Hakyeon to go with him.  
“Aaaw, that’s such a pity, hyung!” Wonshik whined, “ You were amazing!”  
Taekwoon smiled: “Thanks Wonshik, but I wasn’t feeling that great, to be honest. Jaehwan-ah deserved to win.”

At the mention of Jaehwan’s name, Hakyeon began scanning the room, trying to find him.  
He did find him quite easily, but he quickly looked away, embarrassed, as their eyes met.  
He tried to busy himself with his glass of soda and didn’t notice the person that approached them a couple of minutes later.

“Hyung, you really should have won today!” a faintly familiar voice exclaimed beside Hakyeon.  
He turned around and saw that Jaehwan had walked over to where they were and was talking to Taekwoon.  
“You were the best, Jaehwan-ah. Don’t be so modest.” Taekwoon smiled, and pointed at them. “These are my friends Hakyeon and Wonshik, I think you saw them today, right?”  
Jaehwan gave them a wide smile and bowed politely: “Pleased to meet you.”

The four of them ended up standing in a corner, making small talk.  
Hakyeon didn’t say much, but looking at Jaehwan brought him a weird sense of peace, he was completely comfortable around him, and that was something that ever happened only with his closest friends, not with people he barely knew.  
Every now and then, he could feel Jaehwan’s gaze on him, and every time he looked back, he would look away.

When Taekwoon and Wonshik both left to go greet other people, Hakyeon almost let out a sigh of relief.  
“Uhm… hyung...”  
Hakyeon glanced at Jaehwan, who was staring at him with a troubled look on his face.  
“Hyung… do I know you from somewhere? Since I saw you earlier today, I can’t help but think that I should know you.”  
“I’m glad I’m not the only one who felt like that.” Hakyeon smiled. “This is so weird, I’m pretty sure I haven’t seen you before though… Have you ever been to any of our basketball matches?”  
Jaehwan smiled and shook his head: “Not a big sports fan, sorry.”  
“Well… I think we should get to know each other the regular way then, what do you say?”  
“I’d love to.”  
The smile Jaehwan gave him made Hakyeon feel really warm, and he was pretty sure his cheeks were all red as well, so he turned his attention to the glass in his hands.

“Uhm... sorry if I'm too blunt, but wanna go have a coffee or something tomorrow? With me, I mean.”  
Hakyeon's eyes widened in surprise: “Are you... asking me out on a date?”  
Jaehwan face became bright red in a second: “I'm so sorry! This is the first time we talk and I go and say this... you must be grossed out. Please forget I said anything!”  
Hakyeon chuckled, unable to keep a grin from spreading on his face: “Jaehwan-ah, please calm down.”  
“But what I said…”  
This time it was Hakyeon’s turn to blush: “Don’t worry, I-I wasn’t grossed out or anything. Actually I… would like to go out with you.”  
“You mean it?” Jaehwan beamed.  
Hakyeon nodded and looked at his feet, still embarrassed. 

After a moment of comfortable silence, Jaehwan’s fingers brushed against his wrist: “Thank you.”   
“For what?”  
“I’m not usually so bold but… for some reason I felt that if I hadn’t asked you, I wouldn’t ever have had another chance. So, thank you for saying yes. I promise you won’t regret it.”  
Jaehwan smiled brightly, and Hakyeon smiled back, unable to take his eyes off him: “I already know I won’t.”


End file.
